Share of voice (SOV) is a critical marketing metric that measures your brand’s visibility and brand awareness compared to competitors across various channels. No matter if you’re monitoring social media mentions, paid ad impressions, organic web traffic, or media coverage, SOV shows the extent of the industry conversation your brand influences.
This metric provides a clear picture of your market presence, helping you identify strengths and areas for improvement. SOV initially measured success in paid advertising. Nowadays, its uses have broadened to encompass organic search, social media, and public relations, establishing it as a fundamental aspect of digital marketing.
An increased SOV typically relates to greater market share, enhanced brand authority, and higher revenue, since leading online discussions fosters trust and boosts customer engagement.
Why Share of Voice Matters?
Monitoring share of voice is crucial for marketers looking to maintain an edge in competitive markets. Here’s why:
- Competitive Benchmarking: SOV shows your brand’s position relative to competitors, revealing gaps in your strategy.
- Channel Optimization: Identify which channels, such as social media and SEO, require greater focus to enhance visibility.
- Brand Awareness: A high SOV suggests strong brand awareness, potentially leading to customer loyalty.
- Revenue Growth: Research indicates a link between SOV and market share, where increased visibility frequently results in higher outcomes sales.
Utilizing SOV allows you to enhance your marketing strategy, manage budgets effectively, and establish your brand as a leader in the industry.
Share of Voice vs. Market Share
Although share of voice and market share are interconnected, they assess distinct facets of performance:
- Share of Voice: Measures your brand’s visibility across marketing channels, including mentions, impressions, and traffic. It illustrates how much of the conversation you control.
- Market Share: Indicates the portion of a market’s revenue or customer base that your brand holds. This is directly linked to sales.
Both metrics assess performance against competitors, but SOV emphasizes brand visibility, while market share highlights sales performance. A strong SOV can boost market share growth by enhancing awareness and trust, establishing it as a leading indicator of future revenue.
How to Calculate Share of Voice?
The share of voice formula is simple and can be adapted to any channel:
SOV (%) = (Your Brand’s Metric ÷ Total Market Metric) × 100
Here’s how it works:
- Choose a metric (e.g., social media mentions, ad impressions, organic traffic).
- Measure your brand’s performance using marketing tools like Google Ads
- Sum the same metric for your competitors to get the total market metric.
- Divide your brand’s number by the total and multiply by 100 to get your SOV percentage.
For example:
- Social Media: If your brand has 500 mentions and the industry total (including competitors) is 2,000, your SOV is (500 ÷ 2,000) × 100 = 25%.
- PPC Ads: If your ads generate 10,000 impressions out of 50,000 total industry impressions, your SOV is (10,000 ÷ 50,000) × 100 = 20%.
This calculation enables you to identify high-performing channels and discover ways to enhance weaker ones, thereby increasing your digital marketing ROI.
Share of Voice by Marketing Channel
1. Paid Advertising
In paid advertising, the share of voice indicates the proportion of ad space your brand holds compared to its competitors. In pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, the primary metric is impression share, reflecting how frequently your ads are displayed in relation to the maximum possible impressions determined by your keywords and campaign configurations.
To calculate:
- Log into Google Ads, click “Campaigns,” click the column icon, and select “Competitor Metrics.”
- Add the Impression Share column, then divide your impressions by the industry total.
A high Share of Voice (SOV) in advertising enhances PPC budget efficiency, evaluates campaign effectiveness, and offers a competitive edge. This metric is crucial for digital advertising and PPC marketing.
2. News Outlets and Blogs
Monitoring SOV in news outlets and blogs shows how often your brand is referenced in media coverage. This insight aids you:
- Identify journalists or publications interested in your niche.
- Reveal trending topics and industry discussions.
- Benchmark competitors’ media presence.
Social listening tools monitor mentions across news sites, blogs, and forums. For basic tracking, set up Google News Alerts to receive notifications of brand mentions. Analyzing media SOV streamlines PR research, informs content marketing, and strengthens your brand reputation.
3. SEO and Organic Search
For SEO, share of voice measures your brand’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). Common metrics include impressions (how often your site appears in search results) or clicks (how often users click through). Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console can track these metrics.
To calculate:
- Select a set of target keywords or topics relevant to your industry.
- Use a keyword research tool to pull SERP data for the top-ranking pages.
- Calculate your impressions or clicks as a percentage of the industry total.
A strong SEO share of voice (SOV) signals dominance in key search terms, helping you refine your SEO strategy, boost organic traffic, and improve SERP rankings. It also highlights which competitors outperform you, allowing you to adjust your content strategy accordingly.
4. Social Media
Social media is a primary channel for SOV analysis, where consumers share opinions and engage with brands. With over 4.9 billion global users in 2025, platforms like X, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn offer rich data for brand monitoring. Measure SOV using metrics like mentions, hashtags, reach, impressions, or sentiment.
To calculate:
- Use a social media analytics tool to track your brand’s mentions.
- Sum competitor mentions, then divide your mentions by the total to get your SOV percentage.
A strong share of voice (SOV) on social media reveals which platforms, influencers, or strategies drive competitors’ success. This insight helps you identify gaps in your social media marketing, enhance content creation, and increase audience engagement. For instance, if a competitor excels on platform X, examine their posting frequency, hashtags, or partnerships with influencers to improve your strategy.
Top Tools for Measuring Share of Voice
To streamline SOV tracking, use these SEO-optimized tools designed for digital marketing:
- Talkwalker
Best for: News, Blogs, and Social Media SOV
Track mentions across news, social media, blogs, and the web with sentiment analysis in 25 languages. It’s AI-powered visual listening tracks brand logos, providing a comprehensive view of brand performance. - Google Ads
Best for: PPC and Advertising SOV
Use the impression share metric to measure ad performance. It works smoothly with Google Search Console, making it a preferred choice for PPC campaigns and digital marketing. - Ahrefs
Best for: SEO SOV
Analyze organic traffic and keyword rankings alongside competitors through batch analysis. Ahrefs is an all-in-one tool for keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits, and content optimization. - SEMrush
Best for: SEO SOV
Use the Position Tracking tool to measure SOV by location, topic, or keyword groups. SEMrush’s keyword gap analysis reveals chances for organic search growth, while its content marketing tools enhance wider strategies.
To maximize share of voice, Dimarketo is the leading digital marketing agency in Dubai. Famous for its innovative strategies and data-focused methods, Dimarketo helps brands enhance their social media visibility, SEO, PPC advertising, and content marketing.
Using advanced tools like SEMrush, Google Ads, and Talkwalker, Dimarketo guarantees that clients attain a strong SOV in their sectors.
Whether you’re a startup or an established business, our tailored digital marketing services in Dubai yield measurable results. By merging SOV insights with innovative strategies, Dimarketo helps clients surpass their competitors and establish lasting brand authority.
Visit Dimarketo to learn how their expertise can elevate your share of voice and transform your digital marketing success.
How to Create Share of Voice Reports?
Generating share of voice reports is easy when you have the right tools.
- Collect data using marketing analytics tools such as SEMrush and Google Ads to collect data, focusing on metrics like mentions, impressions, and traffic.
- Export data to a spreadsheet or use built-in reporting features in tools.
- Calculate SOV for each channel (social media, SEO, ads, media) by dividing your metrics by the total for the industry.
- Visualize results with charts, graphs, or tables to share with your team or stakeholders.
- Include actionable insights, such as which channels need investment or which competitors outperform you.
Regular SOV reports allow you to monitor progress, identify marketing trends, and ensure your digital marketing strategy aligns with business objectives. They are also important for showcasing performance to leadership and clients.
Advanced Tips for Maximizing Share of Voice
To maximize your share of voice and improve your SERP rankings, explore these strategies:
- Optimize for High-Impact Keywords: Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to find keywords with high search volume and low competition. Develop SEO-friendly content to rank for these keywords and boost your share of voice in organic search. If you need help, contact Dimarketo for content marketing services in Dubai to improve your SEO.
- Engage Influencers: Partner with influencers who match your brand to enhance mentions and extend your reach on social media. Evaluate your competitors’ influencer strategies to uncover new opportunities.
- Monitor Sentiment: Identify negative sentiment quickly to safeguard your brand reputation.
- Invest in Content Marketing: Publish high-quality blog posts, videos, and infographics to boost media mentions and backlinks. This strengthens your SOV in news and organic search. If you need help, contact Dimarketo for SEO services in Dubai, to improve your brand visibility on SERP.
- Track Competitors Continuously: Monitor competitors’ activities in real time. Use insights to stay ahead of industry trends.
Why is Share of Voice Critical for SEO and Marketing Success?
Share of voice is a game-changer for digital marketers aiming to lead their sector. By highlighting your brand’s strengths and weaknesses, SOV allows for data-driven choices that yield significant outcomes. The primary advantages include:
- Budget Optimization: Distribute resources towards impactful channels such as PPC or social media.
- Content Opportunities: Determine subjects and publications for content marketing and PR campaigns.
- Competitive Edge: Analyze competitors’ successes to enhance your marketing strategy.
- SERP Dominance: Increase organic traffic and keyword rankings by focusing on high-SOV channels.
To enhance your brand’s visibility, focus on long-tail keywords, produce engaging content, and build high-quality backlinks. Consistent SOV analysis helps you stay ahead of competitors and seize emerging opportunities.
Final Thoughts
Share of voice is more than just a metric—it’s a roadmap to brand dominance. By measuring SOV across social media, SEO, paid advertising, and media, you can uncover actionable insights that help you outperform competitors, engage audiences, and drive revenue growth.
For brands in Dubai, collaborating with Dimarketo can enhance your SOV and digital marketing efforts. Feel free to contact us and get free proposal.
